Sino-EU partnership drives green transformation in Europe

China-Europe green cooperation is injecting fresh impetus into the environmentally friendly transformation of economies across Europe, promoting joint green development between both sides, industry insiders said.

A modern power battery plant, derived from Ningde, Fujian province, is operating in an orderly manner in Germany's Arnstadt, Thuringia — once a key hub of the Central European nation's traditional automobile industry.

As Germany's first power battery production base, the plant boasts an annual production capacity of 30 million cells — sufficient to power approximately 200,000 electric vehicles — with a total investment of 1.8 billion euros ($2.1 billion).

The batteries are being delivered to cities including Munich, Ingolstadt and Stuttgart, where they are assembled onto the newest new energy vehicle models of automakers including BMW Group, Audi AG and Porsche AG, before entering the European market.

In the early stage of production, Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd sent hundreds of employees from China to ensure smooth operations. With the gradual maturation of local training systems, cell module integration, system assembly and packaging at the plant are now primarily handled by local employees.

Chinese battery enterprises are accelerating the establishment of localized production capacity networks across Europe.

CATL is pressing ahead with factory construction in Hungary and Spain, Gotion High-tech is undertaking major investment projects in Slovakia and Sunwoda Electronic Co Ltd is building its first European plant in Hungary, providing localized supply chain support for European automakers and driving collaborative upgrading of the industrial chain.

"We have brought a complete suite of quality standards, management processes and green concept," said Caspar Spinnen, a spokesperson for CATL in Germany, adding that the project combines the industrial scale advantages of "Made in China" with Europe's innovative approaches to climate management.

The plant in Thuringia has become CATL's first overseas facility achieving zero-carbon operations through renewable electricity usage and smart energy management systems.

Meanwhile, the factory is collaborating with a research institute to develop battery life span predictive models aimed at enhancing durability and resource utilization efficiency. Extended battery lives not only contribute to emission reductions, but also lower maintenance costs.

Chinese enterprises have established systematic advantages in continuous research and development of cells and battery packs, technological accumulation and mass manufacturing. These strengths are now gradually becoming drivers of regional economic development, said Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer, an expert on the German automotive sector.

Exemplified by CATL's German facility, a cohort of enterprises has taken root in Arnstadt, whose sustained investments and incremental tax revenues are feeding back into urban development, driving the implementation of projects such as residential zone expansion, said Arnstadt Mayor Frank Spilling.

The successful establishment of Chinese battery projects in Europe demonstrates the collaborative potential between both sides in the green industrial sector, said Michael Schumann, chairman of the board of the German Federal Association for Economic Development and Foreign Trade.